Designing quilts with foundation paper piecing

Foundation paper piecing is a method to precisely quilt images by breaking down images into simpler shapes and sewing fabric onto a “foundation” layer of paper. Members of the MIT community participated in a workshop facilitated by Jane Halpern, EECS communications officer and quilter, to learn this handicraft technique using the free software tool Quilt Assistant and sewing resources in the Metropolis makerspace.

Casey Fienberg

Casey Fienberg '26, mechanical engineering undergraduate, had some experience with sewing and quilting. Trying paper piecing for the first time in the workshop, she made a 12-inch by 12-inch "portrait" of a tomato to sew into a pillowcase as a gift to her brother.

How did you make it?

We first chose the photograph we wanted to recreate. Using quilting software, we simplified the image to turn it into a sewable paper piecing pattern. We printed the pattern pieces out, chose our fabrics, and sewed everything together according to the pattern!

What skills did you learn in the paper piecing class? Is it a skill you are new to or expanding on?

I already knew how to do basic sewing and quilting, but I had never tried paper piecing before and was so excited to learn! Paper piecing allows for much more complex designs in quilting.

What was the most surprising part of the class?

How simple it was! You can make unbelievably complex pieces of art with paper piecing, and it's hard to believe just how uncomplicated the process is once you learn. (Though while it may be uncomplicated, it's definitely still a bit long and tedious haha.)

Swati Ravi

Astrophysics graduate student Swati Ravi also extended her sewing skills with foundation paper piecing and created a portrait of a black cat.

How did you make it?

There are two techniques I used—foundation paper piecing and a software called Quilt Assistant. Foundation piecing is a patchworking technique over 100 years old where a pattern is drawn or printed on a piece of paper and then fabric is sewn directly onto the paper. Quilt Assistant is a free software putting a modern twist on this historical technique! It allows people to upload a photo and digitally convert it into a foundation paper piecing pattern.

What skills did you learn in the paper piecing class? Is it a skill you are new to or expanding on?

I am completely new to foundation paper piecing and had lots of fun learning all about this technique. I was already familiar with sewing and patchworking, and it was great to add this new technique to my sewing skills toolkit.

What was the most surprising part of the class?

Foundation paper piecing is truly magic—it almost seems too good to be true! Trying to traditionally sew complex patchwork patterns, especially ones with shapes like triangles and diamonds where many pieces of fabric all need to be perfectly cut and aligned, is incredibly difficult. Sometimes even after careful work, these patchworks end up wonky. Foundation paper piecing, in contrast, is full of plenty of complex shapes where you can cut fabric carelessly, but the final product produces perfect lines and points every single time.

Finding a passion for the craft, Swati has facilitated quilting workshops for the MIT astrophysics community in creating a collaborative quilt, a project continuing throughout the spring term.

Tess Smidt

Tess Smidt is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering. Her quilted designs featured her pet bunnies Emmy and Millie who boast their own Instagram page @PhysicsBuns.

What did you make?

In the paper piecing workshop, we made quilt squares that could either stand alone or be part of larger works. I based mine on a photo of my rabbits, Emmy and Millie.

How did you make it?

We used QuiltAssistant to turn our images into piecing-line patterns. After finalizing the design, I printed it out, chose fabrics from Metropolis, and cut pieces with seam allowance. The process involves aligning the pattern on fabric and sewing the pieces together in order—just straight lines, which makes it surprisingly approachable and precise.

Jane was fantastic—equal parts technically skilled and creatively supportive. She helped us make pieces that were both well-constructed and fun, and encouraged us to embrace the process rather than get stuck in perfectionism (a real risk for MIT folks!). Her guidance made the class feel joyful and freeing.

A fabric stash donated by the family of Nancy Maher, enables the Metropolis makerspace to offer a number of sewing workshops such as foundation paper piecing throughout the academic year — find more information at make.mit.edu.